Many Cheap Portable dual band Transceivers (such as UHF and VHF Wouxun KG-UVD1P) HAM radios can be programmed to operate in FRS (USA channelized frequencies around 462 and 467 MHz) and PMR446 (UK Analog PMR446 covers band 446.0 - 446.1 MHz) but these unlicensed radio channels are limited to 500mW.
These portable HAM transceivers will broadcast at between 4000-5000 mW, enhancing range broadcast considerably.
In the USA those Part 90 radios may not be used to transmit at all on FRS, GMRS or MURS frequencies. The radios are not type-accepted for those services. That's not to say that people don't use them that way.
How difficult would it be for the authorities to track down and locate these broadcasts let alone determine the broadcast power was illegal without some serious triangulation surveillance by the FCC's Enforcement Bureau let alone prove your handset was responsible especially in a grid down power outage?
Most commonly it depends on whether there are a number of volunteer fox hunters who are looking for you. In general, if you're obnoxious on the air hams will start looking for you, and if you keep transmitting you will be found. The FCC Enforcement Bureau reportedly appreciates it when hams hand them violators on a platter.
There may be people out there who own those Part 90 radios with the idea of using them illegally during a communications outage, and there may be a subset of them who will find ways to be not just illegal but obnoxious, but as far as I know it's not happening on any kind of large scale in places that have had such emergencies.
Listening into HAMs on SW bands will rarely get you any useful information. I think I will concentrate on a 20W Satellite/PC notebook system powered from a 12V rechargeable Lithium battery.
Listening in to hams on SW will let you listen in on NTS nets, which may or may not be of any use. Quite likely not. Listening on VHF and UHF may get you more useful local information. My experience has been that if you're part of the local ham community you can figure out which operators are more likely to have useful information. In that respect it's like watching broadcast news; if you come at it cold without ever having watched before it will be harder to distinguish the wheat from the chaff.
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